About the Author: Dr Marlene Hickin graduated from London
University in Arts, Theology and Education,
and held a doctorate in Applied Theology from
the United States. (Marlene died in 2015.)

Formerly a Ministry Training
officer in an Anglican Diocese in London,
she was on the Board of the Churches’ Child
Protection Agency in the UK and Series
Editor of Pastoral Care Handbooks published
by Harper Collins UK.

An international
conference speaker, she was a
Consultant in Personal and Professional
Development to clergy and chaplains in the
UK and Australia for the past 25 years. She was a member of the Ethics Committee of the Sydney College of
Divinity and the Ethics Consultant to the NSW College for Clinical
and Pastoral Education.

“Reading this book has taken away the shame. I wish I’d read it years ago.” - a Christian survivor of childhood sexual abuse
“Essential reading” - a healthcare worker in a Christian agency

This is a very significant and timely tool for all leaders throughout
the church, both clerical and lay.

Although Christians now know that
abuse happens – and that it has been happening for decades –
there has been little analysis of why it happens and of spiritually
appropriate responses to it. Dr Marlene Hickin offers a thorough view
of this complex issue.

Justice Caroline Taylor AM, Head of the Social Justice Research
Centre in the School of Psychology and Social Science of Edith
Cowan University, writes:

You are right to use the small ‘c’ in relation to the ‘church’ as
an institution. In responding to child sexual abuse the ‘church’
hierarchy have betrayed, ignored and abandoned many victims.
Their defensiveness in the light of the abundant proof that children
and young people have suffered heinous sexual abuse is another
illustration of their lack of moral compass and true leadership.

Ian Westmoreland, church elder, writes:

What an eye opener and wake-up call The Cry has been for me! I have
been a Christian for nearly 40 years in two denominations in Australia and
New Zealand and in a leadership position for the past 12 years.

Based on
my rather sheltered view I had assumed that just a few isolated incidents
of sexual abuse in our churches had given rise to all the publicity – how
wrong I was! I have moved from initially questioning Marlene over the
extent of the issue to strongly believing that this book is compulsory
reading for every Christian leader and highly recommended for everyone
who wants to eliminate this critical problem and to support the victims of
abuse.

It is time that all Christians took a strong stand on this horrific issue.

Irene Voysey, journalist and author, comments:

The once-rarely reported incidents of abuse within the church, and the
life-long effects on victims of abuse, had been of little concern to me until
I worked with Marlene on editing this manuscript. The whole subject
had simply been too unpleasant to dwell on while I was occupied with
other ministry endeavours.

From the first draft of this book I became
increasingly ashamed of my earlier disinterest in the topic. The Cry opened
my eyes to the psychology of abuse and to how horrifyingly easy it is to
sexually abuse a child. Media reports today tell all of us about the betrayal
of trust and its life-long effects on victims. It is essential, and scriptural, for
every one of us to learn how to protect the most vulnerable among us.

The
Cry is a gift to the members of every church.

A healthcare worker in a Christian agency writes:

The Cry is a very insightful study of why abuse has gone on for so long
unchecked within the church, allowed to continue even when there was clear
evidence that it was happening.

Released in a timely manner, with the Royal
Commission now underway, this book is for Christians and non-Christians
alike. I would recommend it to anyone who is distressed by these disturbing
issues. With a lot of thought-provoking material such as the psychological
profile of abusers, it gives answers to our questions and hope for a safe
future for children.

Society must rid itself of this terrible cloud that
hangs over our confidence regarding leaders within the church.